U.S. readies study of how environment affects kidsDoes a pregnant woman's exposure to certain chemicals put her child at risk of learning disabilities? Do genetics and pollution interact to cause asthma? What's the real impact of television on toddlers? The government is preparing the largest study of US children ever performed — it will track 100,000 from mothers' wombs to age 21 — to increase understanding of how the environment affects youngsters' health(WN)...

Flash flood claims 31 in MexicoDozens missing in border cityPIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico -- At least 31 people drowned and dozens more were missing Monday after a downpour flooded a normally dry river that quickly sprawled out of its banks and inundated a suburb. Floodwaters of Rio Escondido leveled homes, uprooted trees, disabled utilities and deposited cars atop buildings into the Sunday afternoon calamity(WN)...

Strong earthquake rattles northeast AfghanistanA powerful earthquake jolted the remote Hindu Kush mountains along Afghanistan's northeast border with Pakistan early Tuesday as residents slept, officials said.The quake was centered in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, which borders Pakistan, Tajikistan and China, near the Wakhan corridor, a narrow strip of Afghan territory that juts off to the northeast of the country(UNHCR file)...

Fewer firms controlling the forests of CanadaEDMONTON—Canada's public forests are increasingly falling under the control of large corporations, says a report being released today. In a national survey of forest tenure, Global Forest Watch Canada found the amount of public forest controlled by the largest 13 forestry companies increased by 9 per cent between 2000 and 2003(WorldPhotos.com)...

Spread of cotton pink bollwormCotton is the single largest cash crop of Pakistan. In Sindh cultivation of cotton started before the opening of the Sukkur barrage. During the pre-barrage period up to the year 1932 the cultivation of Sindh's desi cotton [Gossypium arborium] covered nearly 0.13 million hectare whereas area under American cotton was only 0.01 million hectare(FAO Media Base )...

President Hu's Speech on Development Strategies IssuedThe full text of a key note speech by President Hu Jintao on the country's strategies for population, resources and the environment was made public Sunday, which calls for a comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable approach to the country's economic and social development with the people put before everything(Xinhua)...

Bengal to link up pollution test centresThe West Bengal state government will connect all vehicle pollution checking centres to a central server at regional transport offices where registration numbers of all vehicle plying in the state will be recorded.“This will allow us to keep a tab on the regularity of vehicles that check pollution levels(WorldPhotos.com)...

Five Indiana governments join pollution lawsuitFive local governments in Indiana were among dozens across the country that have filed suit against the gasoline industry over pollution believed to be caused by an additive that can make water smell and taste bad(WorldPhotos.com)...

China expects record number of baby pandas this yearChina expects a record number of baby giant pandas to be born this year, as 10 female pandas are now pregnant and another 23 are in estrus at two giant panda breeding and research bases in the southwestern Sichuan province(Xinhua)...

Cattle Farming Biggest Threat to Amazon -ReportBRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Booming Brazilian beef exports could be the main culprit behind a sharp rise in deforestation of the Amazon jungle as cattle farmers cut deeper into the forests, a leading research institute said on Friday(WorldPhotos.com)...

Two ministers handling timber industryMIRI: Two ministries, following the recent revamp of the Federal Cabinet by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, will now manage the logging industry. Newly-appointed Plantation Enterprises and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui said his ministry would deal only with the downstream section of timber extraction(White House)...

Farmers, scientists urge govt to resist anti-GMO lobbyLeading Filipino scientists and farmer organizations recently called on the government "to resist a new wave of pressure from anti-GMO lobbyists who are on an apparent campaign to derail the country’s bid for food sufficiency"(ABr)...